One Last Dance
by Claudia Sorkin
Summary: The staff prepares to leave the White House at the end of the second term.


TITLE: One Last Dance RATING: PG DISCLAIMER: I would love to call them my own, but they're not. The West Wing and its characters belong to NBC, Warner Brothers, and, of course, Aaron Sorkin. No copyright infringement intended. AUTHOR'S NOTES: Imagine 4 years into the future, towards the end of the second term. SUMMARY: The staff prepares to leave the White House.  
  
Jed Bartlet: The second term is almost over, and with it comes the end of my stay in the White House. It'll be hard to leave this atmosphere that I've grown so accustomed to. I've learned to love it here, the ups and the downs.  
  
Abbey hates me. In her eyes, I'm nothing but a jackass. I wonder if things will ever be the same for us. The White House ages a person, but can kill a marriage. I probably shouldn't have run for a second term. Was she ever pissed at me when she found out I was planning to run again. She got over it though, eventually. She is, and was, incredibly supportive. In ancient Rome, women never participated in government, and in many places today that's still the case. I do not possibly see how they get by. Abbey basically ran this White House sometimes. She was what kept us all together.  
  
Abbey and I do not see eye to eye on many things, but I love the hell out of her. It's time to put her first now. AT the end of the term, I'll probably disappear from the public and democratic eye. Retire. Write a book, maybe. As long as I do it with Abbey by my side.  
  
Abbey Bartlet: That jackass has put me through hell. Literally. I'll kill him if he ever goes back into politics. He has the old-school view that women are supposed to sit back and let their men do their work and control them. I went to school. I'm educated. I'm not First Lady Abbey Bartlet, I'm Doctor Abbey Bartlet. I gave that all up for him. Not only that, I got in trouble for caring for my husband. I know a hell lot more about stuff than he does, and I let him run the country. He damn well better be happy with what I've done for him.  
  
I could never leave him though. I act like I hate him sometimes, but I don't. He annoys me, but then there are those moments when I look into his eyes and I know.I know I'm still in love. And I always will be.  
  
Leo McGarry: I'm gonna miss this building. I lost- and gained- so much here. It's become part of me. It'll be weird stepping back into the real world after eight years of the fast paced, heartbreaking, yet exhilarating West Wing. It's been an amazing experience, to govern the country beside my best friend. I'll miss it dearly.  
  
I gave up my marriage for this. Hell, it would've ended anyway. We weren't in love anymore. I don't know if I'll ever fall in love again. Not many people fall in love with a gruff, democratic old man. But anything is possible.  
  
I'm not ready to go, not yet. Maybe Hoynes will appoint me to his cabinet if he wins. Maybe I'll run for President myself in four years. But I know I still got some fight left in me.  
  
Josh Lyman: God, it's almost over. Where do I go from here? Truthfully, I'm not that worried; Deputy Chief of Staff to President Bartlet looks pretty damn good on a resume.  
  
We've accomplished so much, but so little at the same time. President Bartlet and Leo wanted to change the world. They didn't achieve that, but they began to. At any rate, they made our country a better place.  
  
I have on regret- Donna. Eight years, and I never told her once. I love her. Damn it, do I love her. Now she may never know. She's smart, funny, beautiful.and I need her. Maybe there's still time.  
  
Donna Moss: I guess I'm going to go back to college now. Get a real degree in political science. This has been amazing. I could never leave politics now. I'm hooked.  
  
This has been the greatest experience of my life. I learned and I grew. I met some of the worst enemies in my life, and some of the best friends too.  
  
I guess you could say I fell in love also. Though I could never tell him that. "Him" is my boss. It would be very inappropriate to tell him. I can't keep it inside though. I spent eight years trying to cover it up, falling deeper in love each year. I should at least admit it to myself: Yea, it's Josh Lyman.  
  
Sam Seaborn: Wow. For once I'm at a loss for words.  
  
I've spent what now seems like all my life in the West Wing. I've become unattached to the real world. I like this world better. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice leaving Lisa for all of this. I think I did. It's what makes me truly happy. Besides, what goes around comes around. Ainsely is beautiful, intelligent, and original. I'd bee a fool not to love her. And I don't hide my feelings- I'm going to ask her out.  
  
I'm not leaving politics like some of the staffers I know of. There are too many Democrat views that need to be heard. Bartlet one told me that someday I'd run for President. One day I will. For him.  
  
Ainsely Hayes: "The Republican Blonde Sex Kitten". That's what I've been known as around here. Don't get me wrong, it's been fun. I've gotten to work in the White House, under a Democrat President no less. And I've learned a lot. I'm much less right wing than I was when I first arrived. I agree with many Democrat views. What would the Republicans back home think? Still, I wish I had been taken more seriously. I am intelligent, not "blonde". I'll refrain from comment on being a sex kitten.  
  
However, I met many wonderful Democrats, Sam being at the top of the list. He's an amazing teacher, but I wish he were more. Maybe, by the end of the term, I can make it that way.  
  
Charlie Young: My life changed when I came to work in the West Wing. Sometimes times were tragic, sometimes it was total ecstasy. But one thing is for certain- I grew up here. I'm not a boy anymore; I'm a man. I'm no longer the kid from the ghetto; I'm Personal Aide to the President. And I want it to stay that way.  
  
I met another family when I came to work in the White House- My brothers Sam and Toby, my sisters CJ and Donna, and my uncle Leo. Most importantly, my mother Abbey, and my father Jed Bartlet. The President has given me so much. I hope we all stay in touch. I love them all.  
  
Toby Ziegler: Where to now? It seems impossible to go back to living outside these walls. For years I've been in "the loop" at the White House. It's scary to think that I won't be anymore. There's no experience like hearing the President of the United States read a speech you wrote. None.  
  
Hell, I loved this job. It was a pain in the ass, but I got such a satisfaction out of it. I made a difference. We all did. Politics means so much to me. I need the feeling it gives me to go on. Almost as much as I need CJ.  
  
One thing I know for sure- I can't leave CJ behind. I've been in love with her for years, even when I was married to Andi. I can't live without her in my life. She knows it, to. I can tell when she looks at me. I hope to God she feels the same way. I want one last dance.  
  
CJ Cregg: I didn't know what I would feel when our stay at the White House came to an end. Now I know- sorrow. These years were stressful, but I loved every minute of it. Being Press Secretary has become a part of me, not just my job.  
  
I want to stay forever with the people I've met here. Each is so damn special to me. They brought me joy and friendship. I learned, I grew, I loved. You can't leave people you've shared such an experience with. It's impossible.  
  
I feel as though I can't say goodbye to anyone, but especially Toby. I've known him forever, and that's how deep my love is. And I owe it to him to tell him.  
  
Toby mentioned something about wanting one last dance the other day. I know what he means now, and I want it too. With him, with the staff, with politics.it's what we all want. One last dance. 


End file.
